Colorado Avalanche: Evaluation and Areas of Improvement for Sam Girard

Colorado Avalanche defenseman Sam Girard became an important part of the team despite being so young. Find out how he did and how he can improve.

Defenseman Samuel Girard came to the Colorado Avalanche by way of the Matt Duchene trade. The then-19-year-old was a second rounder out of Nashville who had five NHL games to his name.

The big question at the time was whether the Avalanche would play Girard at the NHL level beyond the 10-game limit — thus burning a year off his entry-level contract — or send him to the AHL.

The team told Girard at the nine-game mark to secure lodgings in Denver. In all, he played 68 regular-season games and three playoff games for Colorado.

Sam had a good rookie campaign with Colorado. He averaged just under 18 minutes of ice time and even saw time on the second power play unit. In all, he turned out to be a valuable piece of the Duchene trade.

This series is all about evaluating the season and identifying areas for improvement. Well, the now-20-year-old is already in Colorado and participating in the Captain’s Camp. His Training Camp proper starts next week.

Let’s get to the evaluation and advice. Note: I’m only using Colorado numbers.\

Evaluation of Sam Girard’s 2017-18 Avs Season

Goals: 3
Assists: 17
Shots: 76
Shooting percentage: 3.9
Hits: 43
Blocks: 63
Takeaway vs. giveaway ratio: 12:31
CF%: 47.8%
CF% Rel: 0.2

The first number that jumps out at me is the takeaway to giveaway ratio — it’s a little brutal. It’s very close to 3:1 territory. We also have to look at his CorsiFor%, which puts him in middling territory on the team.

I have to admit, when I saw 164-pound Sam Girard had laid 43 hits last season, I was pretty impressed. He had to be one of the, if not the, smallest players on the ice every game. But he’s good at his defense.

Girard hasn’t turned into quite the goal-scorer we’re hoping for in Tyson Barrie‘s heir apparent. However, at Sam’s age, Barrie was still in major juniors, so we don’t want to go that route yet.

What’s more, Sam Girard doesn’t look afraid to take shots. His shooting percentage is low, but he’s sure to improve.

Areas of Improvement for Sam Girard

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Sam Girard is still very much in his development stages. After getting drafted, he spent just one more year at the major junior level before making the jump to pro. And though he recently turned 20, that’s still notoriously young in defenseman years.

That said, naturally I’d like to see the turnover ratio improved. A puck-moving defenseman is a puck-possessing defenseman, so you expect to see a fair amount of turnovers. However, I’d like to see a few more takeaways, too.

We’re also going to need to see more offense from the youngster. Again, it’s early days. However, he’s scouted as an offensive defenseman. While the playmaking is there, hopefully his shooting percentage is there.

We also need to address the elephant in the room — Sam Girard is not an elephant. I don’t want to go so far as to say he’s a mouse, but he’s often described as “diminutive.” According to reports, he has put on muscle weight, but you also don’t want to see it affect his agility.

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As a small 19-year-old rookie, Sam Girard was rarely a liability on the ice. And when he did make a mistake, he learned from the error and made sure he didn’t do it again. I have every confidence that the Colorado Avalanche will benefit from what Girard has to offer.